


Of 80s Nostalgia, Late Night Heists, and Tape Recordings

by Lucian_Price



Category: Hotline Miami (Video Games), PAYDAY (Video Games)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Other, Probably ooc, Slow Burn, Sometimes Jacket’s POV to fill in the blanks here and there, Soulmate AU, gender neutral reader, honestly I have no idea what I’m doing, honestly I’m just really gay for Jacket, mostly reader’s POV, music fic?, will update tags and characters as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:01:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27359197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucian_Price/pseuds/Lucian_Price
Summary: The reader works part time at a bank, and part time at a dodgy little bar. They work weekdays at the First World Bank, mostly setting up new clients with bank accounts, and assisting current clients with their funds. Weekends they work at The Crow's Foot, which just so happens to be located right in crime central. They're working at the bank when they get a call during their lunch, their manager at the bar needs them to come in to work the nightshift. This wouldn't be so bad, except the bank gets robbed later that afternoonSoulmate AU where you can hear whatever song your soulmate has stuck in their head.There's also a playlist on Spotify of the same name, feel free to check it out to see what songs inspired me!Currently on hiatus, I plan on reworking this as I don't like the direction it's going
Relationships: Jacket/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. E-GIRLS ARE RUINING MY LIFE!

**Author's Note:**

> I do apologize if the formatting is weird or off. This is my first time publishing anything on Ao3 :) please lemme know what you think! And if you've got suggestions, or ways I can improve, please let me know! I'd love to hear it

Jacket: _Monday 7:34AM_

He awoke that morning with a slight ache in his neck. He must've slept wrong on his couch the night before. A soft red glow illuminated the small basement room. He gently rubbed the sleep from his eyes, what time was it? A quick glance at the small clock on top of the boxes across from his couch stated that it was 7:34 AM. A good time as ever to get up, he supposed. 

He swung his legs off the side of the couch. His grey shirt clung to his body, it was damp with sweat. Memories of what happened in Miami plagued his mind whilst he slept. With a soft shake of his head, he went over his plan for the day. Most of the gang was still asleep, so it was a good time to work on splicing together tapes for his Walkman. 

The Pacman cabinet softly beeped as the title screen played. He was tempted to play for a moment, but the tape was pretty pressing. He needed to make sure it was ready for the heist on Friday. He sat down at his work table, the surface covered in tapes of all kinds. Tapes for learning other languages, tapes for airline PSAs, and police training tapes. 

He put together phrases together to help make his improved heist tape. Tape number 7. In the midst of packing up the tape to test it in his Walkman, his soulmate had a song stuck in their head. _[Choke_ _me, like you hate me but you love me]_

His eyebrows furrowed together in frustration. Out of all the times for his soulmate to have a song stuck in their head, it had to have been then. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, hold, and then out. Once his initial shock was over, he hunkered back down to tinker with his tape. 

He glanced at the clock again, 9:45 AM. His stomach grumbled softly, maybe he'd make an egg sandwich for breakfast. He scooted the chair back so he could get up from his spot at his desk. His back ached slightly, he didn't realize that he had been hunched over the whole time in concentration. He put the Walkman in the pocket of his grey sweatpants, plugged in his headphones, and popped in his favorite mixtape. He put one of his conversational tapes in his other pocket, just in case he ran into someone while on his breakfast run. 

He padded quietly upstairs, his head nodded along to the music. The kitchen was quiet, but the smell of coffee wafted through the air. He inhaled deeply, a cup of coffee wouldn't do him any harm. Pans clanged together as he pulled them from the respective cupboards. He pulled the eggs from the fridge, bread from the cupboard, and placed his special mug next to the coffee pot. 

He got to work making himself breakfast. The smell of fresh fried eggs in the morning was heavenly, especially when mixed with the scent of coffee. When his breakfast was finished being made, he sat down with his plate and mug. 

Wolf slid into the seat across from Jacket. "Morning, Jacket!" He said cheerfully while signing. He hoped to get his attention, it was hard to tell sometimes who Jacket was really listening to. 

Jacket slid off his headphones, and signed back a reply. [Good morning, Wolf.] He picked up his mug, and drank deeply. He wasn't feeling particularly social, and was hoping to avoid the other heisters. Although Wolf wasn't so bad to talk to. He never made Jacket feel weird for being unable to talk. Wolf never pried into things Jacket didn't want to talk about, and honestly, that made Wolf okay in Jacket's books. 

Wolf smiled softly, he figured Jacket may not be in a talking mood. He just wanted to acknowledge his friend. He flipped open the newspaper at the kitchen table, and started reading through the news. It wasn't really all that exciting. He was just looking for something to do. "Hey, uh, wanna hang out later?" Wolf asked while still staring at the newspaper. 

Jacket looked up from his plate, and cocked his head to the side in thought. What would they do? They could play Super Mario Bros on his NES. [Sure, we can play games?] Jacket signed to Wolf. 

Wolf's eyes crinkled with happiness. [Actually, I was thinking we could get a drink later maybe?] He flipped the newspaper closed. He knew Jacket had a lot on his mind lately, truly he had a lot on his mind all the time, but Wolf figured Jacket could use some time outside of the safe house. [I know a great bar not too far from here.] He added. 

Jacket thought again to himself. It would be a good opportunity to try out his new conversational tape he made the other day. Plus he may find his soulmate at the bar. Maybe Wolf was hoping he'd find his own too. Jacket nodded in confirmation. He was in to go out to the bar. 

_[Touch me with the lights off and my chains on]_

He started to question what kind of musical tastes his soulmate had, and whether or not he really wanted to find out. 

Wolf grinned widely, he was pretty excited that Jacket actually said yes. [Alright, I'll see you tonight then. Does 7 work for you?] 

Jacket nodded in response, picked up his dishes, and left to the kitchen to clean things up. He put his headphones back on, Flames of Love by Fancy was playing. It was a good song with a good beat. Maybe his soulmate would get a taste of his music taste. He wasn't really sure how it all worked in all honesty, he didn't think that anyone really knew how it worked. It just did. He's heard their music his whole life, just like they'd heard his.

Sometimes Jacket would imagine what his soulmate looked like. He wondered if they were tall or short, if they liked the same things that he did. Would they be okay with what he'd done? Would they even know? Would he even tell them? Those were all questions that would plague his mind every now and again. The would come on strong, but would dissipate as soon as they came. 

When he finished with his breakfast cleanup, he trudged back downstairs. He wanted to squeeze in some game time before heading out later in the evening. 


	2. Flames of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get to know the reader a bit. What were they up to while Jacket was tinkering away?
> 
> Also, just for ease of my brain, soulmates can hear songs stuck in their soulmates head, and also songs that their soulmate is listening to. Sorry for changing it when I’ve already started! It just works out better for me this way.
> 
> Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I haven’t been feeling particularly creative recently.

Reader: _Monday 7:34 AM_

It was probably time to get up. Hell if you knew. You groggily swept your hand around the nightstand hunting for your phone. You didn't really want to get up, the bed was warm and comfy. Your hand eventually made connection with the phone, the screen illuminated the room and it was incredibly disorienting. Why was the darn thing so bright? Fuck. Was it really 7:30 in the morning? 

You were going to be late for work. You skipped the shower so you would have time to get dressed and have a quick bite to eat before leaving the house. You flicked through the closet, loads of neutral colors filled the space. A couple of neon and other fun colors peeked out from the corners, but you couldn't give them attention. You grabbed a couple of random articles of clothing, you hoped they matched. You were lucky, in a way, that the bank didn't have a uniform, just a very strict dress code. Your clothes needed to be business formal, only dark blues, black, and dark grays were allowed to be worn. White was okay for an undershirt if you wanted to wear a jacket, and your accessories needed to be in dark complementary colors. 

One of CORPSE's new songs played on repeat in your head. You thought briefly in concern for your soulmate, but you figured they'd be fine. They wouldn't be fine if you didn't make it to work on time. It would be your third late in a month, and you knew your boss would have your ass if you were late. 

You freshened up really quick, and styled your hair briefly. You just needed to make sure that it didn't look like you had just rolled out of bed, even if that was the case. You jogged down the hall to grab some breakfast, and out the door you went. It was a late night working the day before, you must've forgotten that you had to be at work early when you stayed behind to help close up. You prayed that you wouldn't hit any traffic on the way as you ran down the stairs of the apartment building. 

Your footsteps echoed throughout the stairwell. It was always so quiet in the stairwell, it was a little unnerving at times. You burst through the door, and ran out to the car. You couldn't remember if you locked your apartment door or not. You didn't have time to double back. It wasn't like you lived in a bad neighborhood or anything. Working the two jobs you did afforded you an apartment in an area with a much lower crime rate. You doubted your elderly neighbors would try and get into your apartment.

You breathed in some of the crisp fall air before entering your car. You flicked on the radio, out the car into reverse, and sped out of the parking garage. “Thank you for listening to 107.1, your home for everything 70s, 80s, and 90s. Next up, I Think We’re Alone Now.” The radio host with a deep voice called out through the speakers. _Hm, that’s actually a pretty good song_ , you thought to yourself during your drive to work. You nodded your head along to Tiffany’s voice, the quiet streets of your neighbourhood streaking by. 

Sirens pierced the air, so you turned off the radio to hear it better. You were almost at work, why was there an emergency now? You stopped at the red light, and craned your neck around to get a better look for where the sirens were coming from. Fire trucks and ambulances zoomed through the intersection, thankfully going in the opposite direction as you. Once the intersection was clear, and the light had gone green, you proceeded onward. You started work at 8:30, and it was already 8:15. You were cutting it pretty close, but you were certain you could make it. 

The bank was in sight, 10 minutes until the start of your shift. You could make it. You swerved into the employee parking lot behind the bank, and raced in through the side entrance. If you weren’t in such a hurry, maybe you would’ve noticed the small blue car parked near the side entrance. You pushed the door open, and raced in. Dammit, you forgot your coffee at home. The morning would undoubtedly get a lot worse, you just didn’t know the full spectrum of it yet.

”Ah, look who finally made it.” A tall man poked his head through the back room door. Tory adjusted his glasses, and cocked a dark brow upwards. His intricately braided hair was tied up on the back of his head. 

You waved awkwardly and tossed your phone into your locker. A quick glance at your watch told you that you had a few minutes until your shift was supposed to start. “Sorry, Tory, late night at my other job.” You smiled apologetically. Tory was your direct boss, and you didn’t want to get on his bad side. 

He sighed softly and shook his head. “The big boss wants to see you.” His deep brown eyes met yours for a moment, was that concern? 

You gulped and straightened out your clothing. “Is he in his office?” You asked Tory, at least if he was in his office you wouldn’t have to do the walk of shame with him to his office. Tory nodded and you trudged up the large marble staircase. You kept walking until you got up to the second floor. You reached the deep mahogany door to his office, and knocked. You braced yourself for verbal impact, and straightened up. 

“Come in.” A voice, a little tired sounding, called out from in the office. 

You pushed the door open, and closed it behind you. You knew he preferred privacy when he called his associates to his office. You walked towards the desk, standing across from him. You didn’t want to take a seat until he had told you to. No point in getting comfortable if it was just going to be a quick walk to your desk and out the door. You glanced quickly at his desk, papers scattered everywhere. Was that a blanket tucked into a drawer? “You wanted to see me, Mr Steele?” You asked awkwardly, you just wanted this to be done and over with so you could go home and eat a pint of ice cream. 

“Ah, (Y/N). Thank you for coming.” His tired hazel eyes met yours. It looked like he had spent the night in his office again. He cleared his throat, before continuing. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink after work tomorrow?” 

You were slightly taken aback. Wasn’t that an abuse of power? You supposed he was probably a little lonely, he hadn’t found his soulmate as far as you knew. You entertained the idea for a moment before settling on an answer. “Uh, sure.” You sounded a little hesitant. You weren’t really sure if this was a good idea, it wouldn’t look good to your coworkers if you went out like this with the big boss. Although it couldn’t really hurt either, right? Gotta make connections somehow. Maybe you’d be able to quit your job at the bar. 

He ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 7,” He paused for a second to rifle through a drawer, he presented a business card with his personal number on it, “does that work for you?” He finished. 

You picked up the business card and placed it gingerly in your pocket. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” You smiled weakly. 

“That’s it, you can have tomorrow off as well. I know you requested it a while back, I just got really behind in my paperwork.” His eyes turned back down to his desk, and started back up on whatever he had been doing. You had been dismissed. You turned on your heels and walked back out the door. You closed it once more behind you. You walked down the marble hall, your shoes clicking along the floor. Your office space was almost in sight. A small series of wooden cubicles. Your main job was setting up appointments for people, on occasion you were called down to be a teller.   
  


Tory sat on the edge of your desk, his brows knit together. His eyes widened when he saw your approach, and then he visibly relaxed when he saw that Mr Steele wasn’t accompanying you. “What happened?” He asked when you actually got to your desk. 

“Old man is lonely.” You snickered as you sat down. Tory’s eyebrow quirked upward, a silent question for you to elaborate. “He just wants to go out for a drink tomorrow, and he finally approved my day off tomorrow.” You rolled your eyes and turned on your computer. 

“Oh he just wants to-“ Tory started before what you just said sank in. “What the fuck (Y/N)? I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain to you how wildly inappropriate that is.” He huffed softly, and got off of your desk. You shrugged nonchalantly, you weren’t really worried about it. He shook his head softly at you before he trudged off to his desk to begin work. 

The phone rang, and you picked it up. “Thank you for calling First World Bank, (Y/N) speaking, how may I help you?” You said in your cheeriest customer service voice. Dammit, it was Mrs Lang calling again about her and her husband’s bank account. You pressed a free hand to your temple, and got to work. 

* * *

_5 PM_

You logged out of your computer, and stretched your arms out. Finally the day was over. Your spine cracked and popped in a few places as you stretched, while it did sound quite concerning, it felt really good so you paid it no mind. “See you on Wednesday Tory!” You stage whispered at him. Poor guy got stuck on a call. He pressed his lips together in a firm line and waved awkwardly at you. You pushed in your chair, and walked out of the office. The bank always felt really cold and empty at closing time. Of course the ATMs were still available at the front, but that was it. Mr Steele’s office remained closed, you wondered if he would spend another night in it. That wasn’t your problem, you decided, and made your way downstairs to the main lobby. 

You stopped in the back room to retrieve your phone before stepping outside into the cool fall air. You approached your car and got in. Taking a deep breath, you stuck your key into the ignition and started ‘ol reliable up. You didn’t turn the radio on, no point as it seemed like your soulmate was listening to some Top 40, but from the 80s. You appreciated a little dose of retro here and there. 

The drive home was relatively uneventful, it was nice to get a better feel for your soulmate’s taste in music. So they liked 80s music, you could vibe with that. You pulled into your parking spot in the garage, stray gravel crunching under your tires. After you turned the car off, you made your way to the elevator. You had no interest in taking the stairs up after a long day of work. You pushed the button to go up, and waited for the lovely ding when the elevator hit the parking level. You ran a hand through your hair, you looked pretty tired. You pushed the button for your floor, and waited for the elevator to get there. It wasn’t long, the elevator was pretty fast after all. 

The door opened, and dinged loudly. You stepped out into the carpeted floor, and walked to your apartment. Sticking the key into the lock, and turning, the door unlocked. So you did remember to lock the door this morning, score. You pushed the door open, closed it behind you, and kicked off your shoes. You walked into your kitchen, and opened the fridge. There was nothing of interest really except a bottle of wine. You picked it up and closed the fridge, a quick search through the cupboards yielded an appropriately sized wine glass. You walked out and into the living room, flopped onto the couch and ordered a pizza. Nothing wrong with ordering out every now and again, although your old takeout boxes stared at you from your recycling bin. You grabbed the remote and flicked through random channels until you found something worth holding your interest. Your phone buzzed, your pizza was here. Finally.


	3. Angry Sea

_Tuesday 12:39_

What the fuck was that noise? You swatted your hand around aiming for your alarm clock. When your hand didn’t make connection to the offending object, you opened your eyes slowly. The room was way too bright. What the fuck. You finished opening your eyes, and held a hand above them to help shield some of the stabbing rays. Memories of last night trickled through slowly. Right. You had gotten home, and decided to have a drink and some pizza. The pizza box sat idly on your small coffee table, a housewarming gift from your parents. The table had an empty bottle of wine on it, as well as your half empty glass from the night before. You sat up slowly, and the room began to spin. Your stomach lurched as you fought to keep whatever was in there down. A loud groan escaped your lips, you sounded like a zombie. You closed your eyes, trying to see if you could wait out the spinning. Unfortunately your stomach made it’s decision on what it wanted to do. You leapt up, and immediately stubbed your toe on the coffee table. “Mother fucker!” You yelped and hobbled your way to the bathroom. 

The bathroom was so close. You turned the corner from the living room and leaned on the wall for support. Regret flooded your system for a moment. Not only should you not have drunk that much the night before, but knowing your habits you should’ve looked for an apartment with tile or hardwood flooring. Cleaning up the carpet would be a real bitch if you hurled onto it instead of the toilet. Finally, you made it to your destination. Kneeling in front of the porcelain toilet, you emptied out the contents of your stomach. Bile stung the back of your throat and coated your teeth. You felt disgusting and empty. You sat down for a moment to catch your breath, your skull pounding. “Fucking hell, I’ll never drink again.” You swore to yourself, even though you knew it’d be a lie. 

Your phone chimed loudly from the living room, the sound piercing your ears like a hot knife. You groaned as you stood up, and flushed away the offending matter. The phone could wait a moment. The mouthwash sat on the counter next to the sink, the small rinsing cup next to it. You poured a bit of the blue liquid into your cup, and swirled it around in your mouth. You spat it out into the sink, and rinsed out with some water. You glanced up in the mirror, you looked like a mess. Your hair stuck out all over the place, and your eyes were bloodshot. Fucking hell. You turned the tap on, and splashed your face with some cool water. While it didn’t exactly take care of your tired eyes, it did feel really good on your face. You took a deep breath in, you did feel a little better. The sharp aching in your head started to soften out into a dull ache. You needed an aspirin, or some kind of painkiller. That would ease the pain in your skull. 

You flicked off the light in the bathroom, and walked back out into the living room. Your phone pinged again. (God dammit, who wants my attention so early in the morning?) You picked up your phone off the couch, and scrolled through your notifications. You had a missed call from your mom, a text from Tory, and 2 missed texts from Mr Steele. Your mom left you a voicemail, so you opened it up to listen. “Hey honey, just checking in to see how you’re doing in the big city? I’m worried about you, the news has a lot about those clown guys robbing banks. Please call me back. Love you!” 

You loved her dearly, but honestly she could get too far into your business sometimes. That was part of the reason why you moved across the country from your parents. You were an only child, so it made sense that they would be so concerned for your general well being. It was just a little inconvenient sometimes, they needed to learn that their baby had left the nest. You didn’t need to be babied like that. You checked your message from Tory as you meandered into your kitchen. “Heyyy, Mr Steele is actually kind of happy today? WTF??” You shook your head softly, Tory definitely had the same thoughts about Mr Steele as you did. Sure he was pretty hot, the salt and pepper look really worked for him, but he was not your type and also your boss. Huh, maybe you and Tory were closer friends than you thought. You made a mental note to invite him out some time. 

You peeked into the fridge, scavenging for something to eat to help settle your stomach more. While you no longer had the urge to hurl your guts everywhere, you still needed to eat something. A fridge full of condiments and random odds and ends greeted your eyes. Dammit. You really needed to go shopping for some actual groceries soon instead of existing solely on takeout. Cold pizza it was then. You let the fridge door slam shut, and opened a cupboard to grab a clean glass. You filled it up with cold tap water. Glass in one hand, phone in the other, you walked back into your living room. You flopped down onto the small love seat. It had definitely seen better days, but it was yours and that’s what mattered most to you. It was a thrifted item you had gotten when you first moved to D.C. You opened your phone to read the texts from Mr Steele. “Please wear something business casual tonight.” The first text read. So basically what you wore to work at the bank, just a little dressed down. Okay, you could do that. Just mix up your clothes for the bar and clothes for the bank. That seemed simple enough. The second text read “What’s your address? I’ll see you at 7 tonight ;)” 

What had you gotten yourself into? You shot him a quick text with your address. Honestly it was pretty smart on his part. You wouldn’t find out where he lived, and no one would see him bringing such a young person home. You glanced around your apartment real quick, it was a wreck. If your boss was coming back to your place after, and honestly you really hoped he didn’t, you needed to clean up a little. You glanced at the clock, it was 1:20. Eh, you had time to be a little lazy. You flicked on the TV, glad that you had the sense to turn the thing off the night before. It was a rerun of the morning news. A young newscaster sat at the desk, her curly hair styled in a pompadour atop her head. The screen changed to a camera recording of a bank. A group of four men with guns walked into the bank, they all wore clown masks and suits. The footage looped on them walking into the bank. 

“That must’ve been what my mom was talking about.” You muttered quietly to yourself. You supposed it was probably about time you start cleaning. You needed at least an hour to get ready, which left you with about four and a half hours (give or take) to clean your apartment. Simple, right? 

* * *

You looked at yourself in the mirror, you looked refreshed and not like you had been working your ass off all day. A stray hair rested on your forehead, you tucked it away quickly. You did one last look over yourself, and you were ready to go. It was almost 7, and you wondered where Mr Steele was planning on taking you. You shot a quick text to Tory, “wish me luck!” All you got back in response was two emojis, one was the clenched teeth face, the other a clover. Well, you supposed that would have to do as far as good lucks went. A loud, but polite, knock sounded at the door. 

You left the bathroom, and headed for your door. It seemed very odd to you that someone would be knocking at your door without buzzing up first. A quick look through the peephole revealed that it was Mr Steele. You slipped on a nice pair of shoes to match your outfit, and opened the door. “Ah, hey Mr Steele.” _Geez_ _, that was an awkward delivery._

He smiled softly, his eyes crinkling around the edges. “Are you ready?” He glanced at your clothes really quick. “Oh, and call me Nathan. No point in all the formalities outside of work.”

Well, that really cemented it. This was really happening. You were really going out with your boss. “Oh. Yeah, I’m ready to go, Nathan.” His name sounded alien in your mouth, was it really gonna be like this all night?

He led you down the hall and to the elevator. “Sooo, how’d you get in?” Your curiosity was burning, and you hoped that it would at least cut some of the awkward tension. 

“Someone was coming out as I was on my way to buzz up.” 

“Oh, that makes sense.”

He quirked an eyebrow upward at your response. His eyes twinkling with a mischief that you never expected to see in his hazel eyes. “What did you think I did?” 

“I have no idea. I just didn’t expect you to show up at my door.” You responded quickly, your cheeks flushed a little with embarrassment. The elevator door opened to the ground floor and he gestured for you to go first. You stepped out into the hallway, and he followed shortly after. “So, where are we going?” You inquired as the two of you walked out of the building. 

“I know a really great Italian place.” He walked towards a dark luxury car. “You like Italian, right?” He asked almost like it was an afterthought. 

Italian was fine, but you really only expected to go out for drinks. “Oh, yes that’s great.” You didn’t want to sound ungrateful as he opened the door for you. The interior of his car was all dark leather, but the inside reeked of tobacco. You forgot he was a chain smoker. You’d need to get your clothes dry cleaned or something when you got home, maybe a long hot shower. 

The drive to the restaurant was rather uneventful. He kept his eyes to the road, although he did drive a little too recklessly for your liking. You absentmindedly hummed I Think We’re Alone now. Nathan gave you an odd look, the tune was very familiar. “That’s a good one.” He commented as he pulled into the parking lot. 

A blush crept up your cheeks, you had totally spaced during the drive. “Huh?” Ah, A class response.

“A friend of mine is quite fond of Tiffany.” He said offhandedly. “Anyway, we’re here.” 

You took one last quiet breath to steady your nerves. The car door next to you opened, you hadn’t even realized that Nathan had gotten out of the car. 

Time to face the music, and dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize if this chapter is a little odd. I had the beginning written out, and then I lost it because I forgot to save the draft :(


	4. I Think We’re Alone Now

_Tuesday 7:16 PM_

You sat down for dinner with Nathan. The floor was a dark velvet red. The whole atmosphere screamed romance. The two of you sat in a secluded booth in the back, the waiter checked in every now and again to top off your glasses. Nathan’s cheeks were a slight red colour, which made sense considering the amount of wine he had ingested. You chewed slowly on your food, hoping that maybe the silence would stop feeling so awkward. 

Nathan sighed loudly while swirling his wine around his glass. “Finding your soulmate isn’t all its cracked out to be.” He said softly, breaking the silence. 

“Pardon?” You looked at him, meeting his eyes. There was no way in hell he thought you were his soulmate. 

“It’s not always perfect.” You felt even more confused than you did before. 

“Nathan, “ You spoke in between bites, the food was actually really damn delicious. “You don’t think we’re soulmates, do you?” You really hoped he didn’t, it would be pretty awkward all things considered. 

His brows knit together in confusion, before he relaxed and chuckled softly. “No, not at all. I know who my soulmate is. He’s a real assface.” His lips curled up into a wistful smirk, but his eyes looked sad. 

“Oh thank goodness.” You had to admit that you were really relieved. “So why did you invite me out?” 

“I just needed time out of the office and away from Jim.” He cleared his throat. “Oi, where’s my whiskey? You fuckin twat.” He spoke with one of the shittiest English accents you’d heard ever. 

“You seriously just invited me out to talk shit about your soulmate?” 

He stared at his glass and shrugged. 

“That’s a little pathetic, don’t you think? If you’re destined to be with this person, you should work things out with him.” You felt a little angry. You couldn’t believe Nathan. He had his soulmate, and was just going to avoid him? You’d been searching for yours for so long, and hadn’t even come close to finding them. 

He looked a little taken aback at your harsh words. “You wouldn’t get it.” He gestured at you with his fork. “He’s always on my ass about everything. He’s upset that I replaced him with my younger brother still. I figured he’d be over it by now, but clearly not.” The words spilled out before he could stop them, he looked visibly embarrassed. Usually Nathan had a pretty cool and calm demeanour about him. Nothing ever seemed to bother him, it was strange to see him so open. 

“What the fuck?” You looked at him incredulously, it honestly sounded like he just confessed to some real fucked up shit. 

His eyes widened when he realized what he just said. “Ah fuck. I uh, do paintball with my friends on the weekends. Jim had a really bad injury and he couldn’t play. We needed a fourth member, so I asked my little brother to tag along. Jim was pissed when he got back that I replaced him with my brother.” The words fell smoothly off his tongue. 

You felt sated for now. “Nathan, you gotta go home to Jim. You have to make sure he knows that you love him.” You gave him a sympathetic look. “Maybe he’s just acting out for attention?” You were trying to be helpful. In all honesty, it didn’t sound like Nathan spent a lot of time at home. Maybe Jim just needed some good ol alone time with Nathan. 

He glanced downwards at the table for a moment as he mulled over what you had just said to him. “I never thought about it that way.” He spoke softly. You got the sense that there was definitely something he wasn’t talking about, but you didn’t really feel like you were in the position to pry. “Alright, well let me drive you home first.” 

He flagged the waiter over for the bill. He left a very large tip, more than double what he had paid for your meals. You knew he was well off, but fuck. That kind of tip would make your night at the bar. The two of you walked back to the car. He lit a cigarette on the way, and took a long drag. “Thanks for the advice.” He said after a second drag. 

“Uh, no problem. I honestly didn’t think that that’s what you invited me out for.” You laughed to yourself softly. All you could hear in your head was 80s hits. Was that all your soulmate listened to? 

He laughed out loud at that. “I can see how someone could see that.” His eyes crinkled around the corner with his bemusement. The evening air felt good on your skin. He took one last puff before grinding out the cigarette with his foot. 

He opened the door of his car for you, and you slid in. That whole evening went a lot better than you thought it did. You really ought to text Tory when you got back. The drive was rather uneventful. Nathan focussed on the road, driving better than he did before. You silently wondered about what your soulmate would be like? Would you have a happy life like your mom and dad? Would you settle for anyone if you couldn’t find your soulmate? Would your soulmate be a dick like Jim? It was hard to tell. 

“You should take Friday off, have a long weekend.” Nathan broke the silence after pulling into apartment visitors parking lot. 

“Huh?” You weren’t really paying attention. 

“Have a long weekend, take Friday off.” He said, a very slight hint of urgency in his voice. You couldn’t tell why, and honestly you didn’t really feel like asking. 

“Nathan, I can’t. I work two jobs for a reason.” You said plainly before getting out of his car. You went to close the door, but paused. “Thank you for dinner.” 

“It was my pleasure. Thanks for the advice.” All the concern in his face had disappeared, it almost made you wonder if you had imagined it. 

“It’s no problem.” Then you closed the door. You walked to the apartment entrance, and heard him speed away. The lobby was empty thankfully. You weren’t very fond of some of your neighbours, and were glad when you didn’t run into them. You clicked the elevator call button, and waited for it to come down for you. In the meantime, you pulled out your phone and began your text to Tory about everything that happened. 

You went to step into the elevator, but accidentally bumped into a young man walking out. “Oh sorry about that!” Your eyes widened with surprise. You couldn’t believe you had been like one of those people. The kind who walked around, eyes glued to their phones, numb to the world. 

“It’s alright.” The young bald man responded. His voice had a slight Swedish accent to it. He stepped to the side, and walked passed you. New neighbour perhaps?? 

You shrugged off the encounter and pushed the button for your floor. You mulled over the events of the evening in your head. Why would Nathan tell you stay home on Friday? It didn’t really matter, you couldn’t afford to stay home. The elevator dinged and the doors opened on your floor. You walked down the hall, your head in the clouds. If you had been paying more attention, you might’ve noticed the scratch marks on your lock. You unlocked your door, and stepped into your apartment. You kicked off your shoes and stripped down into your undergarments. You were home alone, who needed pants in the comforts of their own home? 

You sat down on the couch, and that’s when you saw it. A small box with a bow on top. There was a small card on top, but all it said was “From your secret admirer” in really poor handwriting. You hesitantly opened the box. Inside was a small cassette tape, and some of your favourite candies. The tape only stated “Fall Mix” on it. What the fuck? Your veins felt like ice. Who left this here? How did it get here? What the fuck? 

You set the tape back in it’s box, and immediately called Tory. 

He answered the phone after a couple of rings. “(Y/N)? Why are you calling me?” 

“Someone left this creepy ass box in my house. I need someone I can trust to come over. Please.” You knew you weren’t really close with Tory, but honestly he was the closest friend you had in this city. 

You heard a soft sigh from the other end. “I’ll be there soon. You owe me.” He grumbled before hanging up. 

* * *

Tory buzzed up from the lobby, and you let him up. You met him at the elevator to walk him to your apartment. He was wearing a really nice silk pyjama set, you could’ve sworn you saw a similar one in an ad recently. “So what was in it?” He asked you as you opened the door to your apartment. 

“It was just a tape, and some of my favourite candies.” You replied, and showed him the box. 

He popped a candy in his mouth, and smirked. “Huh, I think it’s kinda sweet.” He shrugged and sat down on your couch. 

“Seriously? It’s creepy as fuck. How the hell did it get in here?” You sat next to him, panic rising in your chest. 

“Take a deep breath, (Y/N). It’ll be okay. I’ll sleep on your couch, and I’ll make sure nothing happens.” It was very obvious that he felt like you were over reacting. Why didn’t he feel the same sense of urgency you did? It wasn’t entirely uncommon for soulmates to do something like this, but you weren’t sure if it was your soulmate who had left this in your house. 

“Thanks for coming on such short notice Tory. We’ll go out for drinks as a token of my appreciation.” You turned to grab him a blanket and pillow, but paused momentarily. “Do you have clothes for work tomorrow?” 

He patted the backpack on the floor next to the couch. “I came prepared.” 

You hadn’t even noticed his bag when you greeted him. “Oh. I’ll grab you some pillows and blankets. Please make yourself at home.” He nodded as you left to grab the pillows and blankets. You heard him wander around your kitchen, probably looking for a snack. Poor guy wouldn’t find anything really. You kept yourself sustained on a heavy diet of takeout. 

You returned with the blankets and pillows from the closet. “Here you go.” You handed them off to him so he could get comfy on the couch. 

He spread out onto the couch and got comfy. “Good night, (Y/N).” He said as he dug through his bag, he placed his silk sleeping cap on, and snuggled up into his blankets. 

“Good night, Tory.” You said and turned off the living room light. You quietly padded to your room, hoping that sleep would come to you fast. 

* * *

Your dreams were plagued with strange music, and flashing lights. The phone rang, but all you got were voice messages. “Hey, this is ‘Jade’, I saw your ad in the paper for plumbing repairs. I need you to come ASAP, I require discretion. The address is 45 Lemon St, apartment 505.” Click. 

Your small, dingy apartment was littered with pizza boxes. All you remember was blood. So much blood. You remember dying over and over again. But you couldn’t die in dreams, right? Your brain was supposed to wake you up, wasn’t it? “You’re not a nice person, are you?” 


	5. It’s Safe Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacket has a potential lead on who his soulmate may be, Sydney encourages him to do something nice. Chaos ensues

_Jacket Tuesday 8:30 AM_

The safe house was quiet in the early morning hours. He wasn’t really sure what compelled him to get up at this hour. There really wasn’t any need from him to be awake, and it wasn’t wise to go on a job alone. He lay on his couch, and stared at the ceiling. He counted the random spots on it. Truly they were just imperfections in the concrete, little divots, small stones that had made their way into the mix. It all gave the otherwise boring grey ceiling some character. He rolled to his side, the couch creaking under the change of position. He sat still for some time, his mind wandering. He wondered what his soulmate would be like. Would they be taller or shorter than him? Would they be okay with the fact that he didn’t speak? He tried not to let his mind linger too long on the negatives. What if they weren’t okay with him, what if they thought he was a freak? 

He remembered when he had first joined the Payday gang. It was definitely a rocky start, people had heard of what he had done in Miami. He knew that was part of the reason why he was asked to join. Jacket also knew that people didn’t trust him at first, and some even were afraid of him. He wouldn’t ever admit it, but it had definitely stung for a while. The only one who had actually been okay with him, was Wolf. Wolf himself was a bit of an odd duck to begin with. Jacket remembered the first time he had met the Swedish man. Wolf’s lips had curled upwards with glee at the concept of another person like him joining the crew. Dallas had been hesitant, he really didn’t want another loose cannon on the team. Alas, Jacket was needed if they were going to get Horton out of prison. 

Jacket sat up slowly, his stomach grumbling softly. He needed a nice cup of coffee, and some kind of breakfast. His head was devoid of music, and so he assumed that his soulmate was asleep. Such is life, everyone had to sleep at some point. He ran a calloused hand through his hair, fingers snagging on small knots. The safe house was quiet. It was the perfect time to go get breakfast and be by himself for a while. He stretched his arms upwards, his shirt lifting upwards to reveal his stomach for a moment. A soft moan slipped passed his lips as he stretched out his body. He really ought to get an actual bed instead of just a couch, it would be much better for his back and neck. He put it on his mental list of things to ask Dallas about. It felt a little odd to him to use Dallas’ civ name, so he didn’t. 

He slipped on a pair of bunny slippers, it was a secret Santa gift from last Christmas. He stood up, and left the confines of his room. If you could really call it a room, it was more like a small a corner of the basement sectioned off with a chain link fence. It didn’t offer much in the way of privacy, but it was home. It was more hospitable than his apartment back in Miami. That place was a shithole not even cockroaches wanted to live in. He made his way out of his room, through the basement, and towards the stairs. 

He wondered to himself how many heisters had decided to stay in the safe house. A few of them were permanent residents, much like himself. Folks who had no other ties to this world, and had nowhere else to be. Folks who didn’t want to, or couldn’t return to their old homes. He briefly thought of Sydney, Sokol, and Wolf. People who couldn’t return to their old lives anymore, he wondered if any of them even wanted to. Then there was Hoxton, as far as he knew, there was nothing waiting back home for that man. In fact he brought his home with him, here to D.C. 

Jacket made his way up the stairs, the pink bunnies muffling the sounds of his footsteps. He wasn’t a particularly loud person to begin with, and with the slippers, he’d accidentally scared the shit out of a few heisters around the safe house before. He reached the top of the basement steps, and turned down a hall towards the kitchen. He could almost taste the dark liquid of life. So close, but he still had to make it. 

A soft voice carried through the hall from the kitchen, whomever it was was singing a song that Jacket did not recognize. He walked into the kitchen, and was immediately greeted by a young woman with striking blue hair. She danced around the kitchen wearing nothing but a ratty old band shirt, and large boxers. He groaned internally, Sydney was one of the last people he wanted to see in the morning. He had no issues with her otherwise, it’s just that she was always on. He hoped to maybe sneak past her, to maybe just grab a bowl, cereal, milk, and go. Unfortunately luck was not on Jacket’s side. 

Sydney whipped around, warm brown eyes ready to burn holes into whomever had come to bother her. Her whole face lit up when she saw it was Jacket. “Mornin’!” She chirped loudly. Jacket silently sent a prayer to whomever was listening that she would leave him alone. There was not nearly enough caffeine drumming its way through his veins for any interaction with Sydney. He inhaled deeply to mentally prepare himself, his face a blank slate. With that, he took notice of the smell of coffee, eggs, bacon, and sausage. “Coffees still hot.” She gestured at the large pot on the counter, a mug sat next to it. It was a white mug with a funky 80s inspired pattern.

Jacket made no outward sign that he had heard the blue haired heister. He just maneuvered passed her and made his way to the coffee. The dark ambrosia of the gods. He poured the coffee into his cup, and added a little sugar for taste. “Want something?” She asked him after he had poured his cup. “I’m making breakfast for everyone who’s here.” 

His only response was just to stare at her intently, maybe he could send her a message telepathically. That way he wouldn’t have to put his cup down to sign. He had left his Walkman downstairs, and in all honesty it wasn’t very convenient for regular conversation. He was grateful that some of his teammates had actually learned ASL to make it easier to communicate with him. He was also grateful that no one had ever pressed him about why he didn’t or couldn’t speak. It wasn’t really a conversation he wanted to have with anyone, trauma would do that to you. 

“Hello? Is Jacket home?” Sydney waved her hand in front of his face for a moment. Dammit. His telepathic messages didn’t send, either that or Sydney just wasn’t able to receive them. Pity. He put the cup down slowly, he had only had a couple sips of his coffee. 

[I’d like breakfast, thanks Syd.] He signed quickly before picking back up his cup. He turned on his heels and headed into the living area. It was getting later in the morning and he knew the other heisters would be getting up soon. 

* * *

Breakfast was an event, of course it was when your table was filled with criminals of all shapes and sizes. Dallas had popped in before heading into work for the day. He claimed it was pure coincidence that he showed up on a day someone decided to make a big breakfast. Sokol called hm out on his bullshit and wanted to know who spilled the beans. 

Jacket was glad that Hoxton wasn’t home when Dallas stopped in. He really didn’t want to be present for yet another argument between them. He thought that tensions would slow when Houston and Hoxton came to some kind of truce. Unfortunately it seemed like that was all for show, as Hoxton continued to hurl insults Houston’s way. 

Jacket sat on his couch, a controller in his hands. The TV displayed the game over screen for Galaga. He threw his head back, and blew air through his nostrils. He had a hard time focusing today. His Walkman sat next to him, one to play music with instead of speaking. He popped in his mixtape, and plugged in his headphones. Just letting the music wash over him, it felt good to just relax and block out the world for a bit. 

—-  
He wasn’t really sure how much time had passed, but his body felt sore and achey. Had he just sat there for the last few hours? Yes, yes he did. His headphones were pulled off of his head. “Hey Jacket!” Sydney chirped. She had taken the headphones off of his head, and he wondered how long she had been standing there. No matter, he was more awake than he was in the morning. 

He cocked an eyebrow upward, an invitation for her to explain what the fuck she wanted. 

She flopped onto the couch next to him, and tucked her feet under her body. “A little birdie told me that they might know who your soulmate is.” She grinned widely, the action reminded Jacket of a shark. Sydney dove into a whole long winded story. Dallas worked with someone who listened to the same music that Jacket heard in his head, and they seemed to hum along randomly to the same music that Jacket listened to. 

“You should make ‘em one those mixtapes you got lyin’ around!” She was practically bouncing with glee. 

Honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea. Put together a tape with music that he heard in his head, and some of his own. It seemed like the perfect gift, just how to get it to them was a whole other endeavour. Almost like she could read his thoughts, she replied “Don’t worry, Wolfie already said he’d help out.” She bounced upward off of Jacket’s couch. “Cheers, mate!” She waved him goodbye and left his room. Jacket had work to do.

He compiled a list of songs he felt his soulmate would enjoy. Some classics, some songs that he figured they’d like, and some songs that were favourites of his. Never once did the thought cross his mind that his soulmate might find this whole thing creepy as fuck. He just wanted to share his good tastes in music, it was a rather innocent thought on his part. It was definitely a lot better than sending body parts in the mail, now that was bad. When he was done piecing the tape together, he grabbed the marker that sat on his desk. He uncapped it, and wrote as neatly as he possibly could “Fall Mixtape”. It was perfection, a blend of both his and his soulmates music tastes. All that was left was to piece it all together. 

* * *

He lay his head down on the pillow on his couch. The sounds of Pac-Man sounding off from across the room. He had forgotten to turn the damn thing off again. Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. His mind wandered to all kinds of things. He thought about the job on Friday, a bank heist at Dallas’ civvie workplace. It was a perfect plan. They had all the insider knowledge necessary, it was going to go off without a hitch. If they could get in, control the civilians, and keep out the cops, it’d be a great payday. 

Eventually his mind gave way to nothingness as sleep took over his body. Black numbness filled his head, his body becoming heavy as he descended into dark and dreamless sleep. 


End file.
